Here is a progress report on my bonsai olive tree.. I took it to meet the neighbors olives and to compare the size of the olives. They are the same! My neighbors olive trees are full, it will be a great year for oil. We live next door to the local cooperative olive press,so don’t…
Food Rules
This sign is on the wall of a meat counter in Florence’s San Lorenzo Market. I asked the Butcher, if it was real.( the sign says, “Forbidden to spit on the ground”. This sign dates back from when there were sputoons in the market, and encouraged the use of sputtoons! Other Food Rules in Italy…
Metello
My neighbor Metello and his San Giovese Today is the beginning of the vendemmia. All my neighbors have been giving me grapes, seems to be a competition on who’s are the best. My real next door neighbors. Vasco and Donatella, gave me some fabulous table grapes. Metello, who sold me his aunt’s house, took time…
Bye Bye Julia
I think Julia Childs taught us all to cook and to have a sense of humor while we cook! Thank you Julia. I am so glad she left us with lovely volumes of recipe and great video from her tv show. She will live on in our kitchens. My favorite memory of Julia is her…
Summer in Chianti-Pesce Finto
Summer in chianti… Off to Londa.. above Pontesieve, to take a class in mask making..feeding the soul! I am making pesce finto, “fake fish” to take, it is a cold potato salad, with tuna and capers. I learned this from my Mother-in-law, Tina Barchielli, another old recipe which is almost impossible to find in local trattoria’s…
La Dolce Vita
Since Under the Tuscan Sun, everyone has been dreaming about the Dolce Vita here in Tuscany. Well .. wake up and smell the expresso! I think that Frances Mayes writes very poetically and does create visions of Tuscany that make you dream.. but in between the lines there there are some nightmares too! Living here…
Death by Chocolate
This year went by so fast and got a little out of control. I was luckily very busy this fall, making up for the lack of work due to Sadam and SARS. But the summer heat ( record in 300 years!) also made my computers crazy and impossible to BLOG. I have finally caught up…
Too much Tuscan Sun!
When there is too much of the Tuscan Sun, it feels like we are being grilled. It is the feast day of San Lorenzo, St Lawrence, the patron saint of the Central Market in Florence. San Lorenzo, patron saint of cook.He was martyred by being grilled to death, that is a grill in his hand.I…